Luigi's Mansion Review

If I could've coordinated this properly, a review for Luigi's Mansion would've obviously been perfect for our Halloween article series, but alas, here we are in November. There's still some connective tissue between Halloween and the pre-Thanksgiving span, in my opinion. While we're not seeing spooky decor or discussing horror media, November has a very cozy, autumnal energy to it that I appreciate. You may not be hiding under your blanket from ghouls, but you've probably still got one draped over you to warm you from the brisk, chilly breeze coursing through the air.

 

Luigi's Mansion is a delightful game. I love the entire premise of "what if the famously family-friendly Nintendo attempted a horror game?" Of course, it wouldn't be anything like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, though elements of the N64 Legend of Zelda games get somewhat close to the tone of those proper horror franchises. Nintendo instead tapped into their pre-existing roster of beloved characters to create something wholly new and bespoke. Luigi, who had already been established in the deep Mario lore, as the anxious, slightly more fearful brother, has been thrust into the spotlight (or the flashlight, rather) and is tasked with busting a whole mansion full of ghosts. Naturally, for a scaredy cat, this mission proves to be nothing short of a fear-filled nightmare for our green, lanky plumber, but he manages to pull himself together and gets the job done.

 

Image Credit: MobyGames

The premise for Luigi's Mansion is simple enough. Our hesitant hero receives a notice that he won a contest, and with it a massive mansion. The only problem is that Luigi never entered a contest. Nevertheless, he plans with Mario to meet out at the mansion to see it. Upon traveling out into the forest to the mysterious manor, Luigi discovers that his brother is nowhere to be found, so he musters up the courage to enter the mansion and look for Mario. He quickly learns that his new mansion is absolutely packed to the rafters with ghastly ghosts and ghouls. There he meets the bizarre Professor E. Gadd who informs Luigi that the mansion appears to have a supernatural origin and that he's trying to create equipment to capture the ghosts, a la Ghostbusters. Armed with the vacuum-like Poltergust 3000 (what an incredible name), Luigi undertakes a mission of capturing all of the ghosts haunting the mansion and trying to find out what happened to Mario.

 

Image Credit: MobyGames

The controls are wonderfully intuitive, and the Poltergust was a brilliantly designed tool for the gameplay to be hinged on. There's a straightforward and spartan approach to Luigi's arsenal of gadgets, which makes it where you're never feeling confused about how to handle any battle. Most engagements revolve around Luigi stunning a ghost with his flashlight and then sucking it up. There are also environmental puzzles for you to solve, all through clever usage of Luigi's handy vacuum. Solving these puzzles often rewards you with unlocking more rooms in the mansion for you to explore.

 

Image Credit: MobyGames

One of my favorite aspects of Luigi's Mansion is the "spooky but cute" aesthetic that Nintendo conceived for this game. They could've just used a pre-existing ghost design from the Mario universe, like a Boo, or pulled in other creepy critters like the skeletal Dry Bones. Instead, they created an entirely new ghost design archetype with tons of different ghost variants that all feel perfectly suited to this game. Beyond the slew of generic ghost enemies, you'll also encounter what appears to be a family of specters who occupy the various rooms of the home and serve as the bosses of the game. One of the most memorable boss encounters in this game, and one with dark implications, involves Luigi fighting a baby ghost in a creepy nursery.

Image Credit: MobyGames

A common complaint with Luigi's Mansion is that it has a surprisingly brief runtime. In fact, this game is often considered a tech demo for the GameCube that they converted into a launch title. I could see some obvious avenues where they could've included more depth in the game, like upgrades for the Poltergust or the flashlight, but I have to say that I really didn't feel like the game needed it. While the game was short, it didn't feel unfinished or unsatisfying. The story, stage progression and gameplay flow together nicely in way that you don't feel surprised when the credits begin to roll. I will say that Luigi's Mansion felt like a perfect foundation to have a sequel to come along and fully realize some of the untapped potential in this game. Unfortunately, the sequel took the game in a very different direction and left me more frustrated than anything. We'll review Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon another day, where I can delve into that more thoroughly.

 

Image Credit: MobyGames

I absolutely recommend Luigi's Mansion. It's a wonderful, tight game that can be beaten within a few evenings. It strikes a nice balance on the difficulty, where I never felt frustrated by anything, but I also didn't feel like I could just turn my brain off and mash buttons through the game. The rhythm of exploring, busting ghosts, solving environmental puzzles and fighting bosses makes for a great time. I've not played the 3DS remake, but the GameCube original is excellent and is playable through the Nintendo Classics program on Switch and Switch 2.

 

VERDICT: Recommended 
Reviewed on GameCube